Chic Gym Bags

I've been on the hunt for a stylish gym bag, as I go to the gym 5+ days/week, and don't like bringing my purse and leaving it on the floor while I exercise. I love all of these gym bags, and will be buying one of the bags below to keep in my car full of my gym essentials! 

1. Thursday Friday Diamond Together Bag, $59

2. LeSportsac Sequined Zipper Tote, $107.99

3. Diane Von Furstenberg Sporty Drew Embossed Bag, $505

4. Lululemon Daily Gym Bag, $108

5. Victoria's Secret Mini Duffle Bag, $32.50

6. Under Armour Shatter Gym Tote, $70

Which is your favorite?

xo,

Lynn

Workout Playlist

It's been awhile since I've posted my current workout playlist, so I thought I'd share what I'm listening to in the gym now.

{Click to enlarge}

What's on your workout playlist right now?

xo,

Lynn

Workout Playlist

I go to the gym at least four days a week and always listen to music while I work out on my own (I go to group exercise classes a few times a week as well). Naturally my workout playlists get old after about two weeks, so I'm constantly removing and adding songs. Below is my current playlist {click to enlarge}. While it is certainly not all appropriate, it does keep me motivated! I am always looking for new workout music, so I would love to hear what's on your list. Please share in the comments!

Cutting Out the Crap

Since my post in June about losing weight and toning up, I've lost about 20 lbs on a good day, 15 on a bad day. What I've done is cut my calories to about 1200-1500 per day and kept up with my work out routine. My problem now is not eating the right stuff. I know full well what I should be eating, but that doesn't always happen. For example, after my 6-10 PM class gets out (after a day of work) I race to the nearest fast food place instead of going home to cook myself a healthy meal. Who wants to do that at 11 PM? Not me. An article I found this morning served as my wake-up call on consuming fast food, specifically, my poison of choice, McDonalds. Take in this shocking fact: in the chicken nuggets and fries meal, there are 10 grams of trans fat used in the US; in Spain there are 3, and in Denmark 0.33. Yes, you read that correctly. US McDonalds restaurants use significantly more Trans fats than other countries. Being a former pre-med student, I know that consuming Trans fats increase your chances of Coronary Heart Disease and that the body is not able to fully metabolize/remove trans fat.
I've decided that enough is enough. It's time to focus on preparing healthy meals BEFORE my long day of work/school and sticking to it. Instead of letting my mixed green salad and other vegetables wilt in the fridge, I'm going to start using them. Hopefully I will finally start using my "meal planner" which I have failed at using in the past and my new Clean Food: A Seasonal Guide to Eating Close to the Source cookbook. I'll keep you updated on that along with healthy recipes that I like. Have any of you had similar issues? How do you make yourself successful at sticking to a healthy/clean diet? If any of you have recipe suggestions that you'd like to share, please send them my way!

Workout Music

I'm always looking for new music to add to my workout playlist, so I'm asking all of you: What's on your workout playlist?

Since I'm always looking for fast paced, good workout music I figure I should share mine with you guys...

Buttons (Dave Aude Fly Club Mix) by The Pussycat Dolls
Right Round by Flo Rida
Unstoppable by Kat Deluna ft. Lil Wayne
LoveGame (Chew Fu Remix) by Lady Gaga ft. Marylin Manson
One More Time by Daft Punk
Circus (Villains Remix) by Britney Spears
Calabria by Enur
Just Dance by Lady Gaga
Four Minutes by Madonna ft. Justin Timberlake
Easy by Paula DeAnda ft. Bow Wow
I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas
Let Me Think About It by Ida Corr
If U Seek Amy by Britney Spears
Untouched by The Veronicas
SOS by Rihanna
The Way I Are by Timbaland
Save A Horse Ride A Cowboy by Big 'N Rich

Project Get My Booty in Shape

I've been thinking about posting about working out/toning up/losing weight for awhile...but didn't...and still don't have the guts to post my weight and/or pictures of myself 1/2 naked. I applaud those who do--I really wish I had the balls to do it. Anyway, I'm not overweight but I would really like to lose a few pounds and tone up A LOT. I was a swimmer all through high school and was in amazing shape, and want to get back to that place. Since high school, which was 5 years ago, I have gone up 2 sizes. I joined a gym in April and have been sporadically working out since then by going to spinning (avg. of 2 days per week) and lifting weights. I figured putting up posts about my progress would hold me more accountable to work out more and get this booty in shape. My goal is to work out 5+ days per week for at least an hour. I will try to post about my progress, and add a calendar and ticker to my blog for my daily progress.